Research team provides training for UW medical students to provide culturally competent dementia care in Latino communities

Members of Mora Pinzon research lab stand together on campusThe research team of Maria Mora Pinzon, MD, MS, FACPM, is collaborating with a research team from the Milwaukee-based United Community Center (UCC) and dementia experts from UCC Latino Geriatric Center to develop a new educational curriculum for students at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.

The new education training, funded by the Department of Medicine Medical Education Innovation Grants in 2024, will be piloted in 2025 and provide medical students with tools they can use to gather better insight on how to provide care in community-based settings. Students will learn ways to meet the needs of individuals that experience difficulty accessing care for dementia due to language and cultural differences.

“This program is crucial for future generations of physicians. It highlights the importance of addressing the unique needs of our communities in the field of medicine and prepares our workforce for the increasing number of cases” said Dr. Mora Pinzon. “There’s no way for a person to get adequate medical care if their provider is not trained to understand the needs of the patients they are serving.”

People who are Latino face higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias

Recent statistics from the Alzheimer’s Association 2024 Facts and Figures report found an older Latino individual is 1.5 times more likely to develop dementia than an older white person. The number of Latinos impacted by dementia is expected to increase by 900 percent over the next 30 years. Despite the higher rates of disease, there are higher rates of under-diagnosis or misdiagnosis among Latino individuals. Some of the factors responsible for higher misdiagnosis include lack of insurance and associated costs, lack of diagnostic protocols validated in languages spoken by Latino populations, and a lack of medical providers with adequate training in the diagnosis of dementia in Latino individuals.

Al Castro, MS, is program director of United Community Center and a partner on the education project with Dr. Mora Pinzon. The new curriculum project addresses barriers to diagnosis and care faced by the Latino community, Castro said.

“Under diagnosis or misdiagnosis means patients and family caregivers struggle for years in their daily lives,” he said. “This education can help alleviate some of that anxiety and confusion. An by facilitating earlier access to appropriate dementia care resources, we’re hopefully allowing families to better manage the care in the home.”

The curriculum will encompass key areas such as cultural competence, cultural adaptations, health disparities, and effective communication strategies, along with examples of post-diagnostic care and resources. The curriculum will tap 17 years of experience and expertise of the UCC Latino Geriatric Center and its clinic team, composed of the Froedtert/Medical College of Wisconsin neurologist, Piero Antuono, MD,  the UCC clinic nurse, Ana Bernal, RN, and the clinic social worker, Vanessa Anciani, MSW.  Community health experts from the Community Health & Research team at UCC, Shary Perez, MPH and Castro will be collaborating in the development and implementation of the curriculum.

To learn more about the program, contact Dr. Mora Pinzon’s research lab by email or visit her research website at morapinzonlab.medicine.wisc.edu. (The lab website is available in both English and Spanish).

UCC Latino Geriatric Center is a member of the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Institute Affiliated Dementia Diagnostic Clinic Network. Find out more on the WAI clinic network page.